Unexpected
"A very disappointing result and most unexpected. We will go on, because we are fighting a battle for the civil liberties in this country." — Entrepreneur John Elliott on the Federal Court's refusal to stop the National Crime Authority from charging him over allegedly sham foreign exchange transactions totalling $66.5 million.
USA, Brazil, Bangladesh ...
"The successful societies have things in common. They have, for instance, market economies. Most are also democracies but that fact does not seem to be essential." — John Hyde, executive director of the Institute of Public Affairs, in the November 26 Australian.
Democrat's progress
"I would like to tell them that they are given time for telling people what their programs are, not for trashing the constitution and the president." — Russian President Boris Yeltsin, putting restrictions on what parties in the December 12 election are allowed to say in their television campaign appearances.
Universal benefit
"Mr Keating was well aware that we exercise no direct editorial influence at Fairfax and his interest was in a reinforcement of professional standards generally to the benefit of all readers, regardless of partisan habits." — Conrad Black, explaining in the Sydney Morning Herald that Paul Keating wouldn't have dreamed of trading permission for Black to increase his shareholding in Fairfax for more "balanced" coverage of the ALP government.
So, don't work
"If a similar accident happened to an employee at work, he or she would be entitled to only a small proportion of the amount paid to Ms Murray." — Peter Sams, acting secretary of the NSW Labour Council, on the $47,000 court award to Jan Murray, who was scalded when a hose broke on a tea urn in the office of her husband, MP John Brown.
Forecast
"I don't think this issue will bring down the prime minister. It is recognised this is not a major issue. What is going to bring down the prime minister is the handling of the major issues." — Right-wing Labor MP Graeme Campbell on the republic debate and Paul Keating.